Sony rumored to be acquiring Gaikai or OnLive

The big gaming rumor last week was that Sony is going to announce some kind of deal with one of the two big cloud games streaming services: OnLive or Gaikai during E3. Now that rumor has been tweaked slightly. Sony isn’t just signing a deal, it is in the process of acquiring one of the companies.

Such an acquisition would certainly shake things up in the gaming space. Sony would instantly be capable of providing PS3 and PS Vita owners with access to games not available for either platform. It would also be able to block the service from ever running on Microsoft or Nintendo hardware.

A PS3 or Vita running Diablo III, World of Warcraft, or a number of other games that don’t currently have console versions is certainly a plus point. It would also force Microsoft to react, most likely by purchasing a rival service for its own console.

Being in control of an established cloud gaming service would also surely influence the design of Sony’s next console. Cloud gaming would become an integral part of the platform, potentially cutting down on hardware costs (less local storage?), or at the very least increasing the potential for more games and more cloud-based features.

We also have to consider Sony’s other businesses, specifically TVs, laptops, phones, and tablets. Owning Gaikai or OnLive could see gaming ship as standard with new smart TVs or as a feature of new Blu-ray players. I doubt Sony would release a standalone box for cloud gaming as it would potentially cut into PS3 sales. Laptops, tablets, and phones with access to a gaming service also makes a lot of sense.

For now, this is just a rumor, but one that will be put to rest either way at E3 next week.